Method for providing communication information of a communication unit and devices for carrying out said method

ABSTRACT

A method and associated devices are provided whereby communication information of a first communication unit is provided via a communication system assigned to the unit. The communication information contains indications on communication possibilities which permit a communication connection with the first communication unit to be set up. Advantageously, a number of communication devices, assigned to the first communication unit, are represented in the indications on communication possibilities. The communication information can be compiled into profiles by the user, which is assigned to the first communication unit, in order to make available only certain information about communication possibilities.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for providingcommunication information regarding a communication unit of a user via acommunication system assigned to the unit. Therefore, a communicationunit refers to the entirety of the communication devices available to auser, such as a mobile telephone, a fixed network telephone, a portablecomputer or a stationary computer. The present invention also concerns acommunication system and a communication device for carrying out theabove-described method.

[0002] Conventional applications, particularly according to the GSM(Global System for Mobile communication) standard, are implementedwithout knowledge of the state of the communication partner. A call iseffected, a short message or SM within the framework of the SMS (shortmessage service) or a multimedia message of the MMS (multimedia messageservice) is sent without the initiator (calling subscriber or SMS/MMSsender) having knowledge about the status of the receiver (calledsubscriber or SMS/MMS addressee); i.e., particularly irrespective ofwhether or not the user terminal of the receiver is actually switchedon. It is, therefore, disadvantageous that the initiator cannot becertain whether or not the receiver, for example, actually receives anurgent message.

[0003] In Japan, within the framework of i-mode, a service is used inthe cellular phone network environment with the designation “e-mail”,but which has nothing to do with the Internet e-mail. This service isused in the same way as chat or instant messaging (instant messagingreferring to the immediate exchange of text messages via instantmessaging and presence services that is undertaken on the basis ofpresence information) see RFC 2778 “A Model for Presence and InstantMessaging”, M. Day, J. Rosenberg, H. Sugano, February 2000(http://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc2778.txt?number=2778) and RFC 2779 “InstantMessaging/Presence Protocol Requirements”, M. Day, S. Aggarwal, G. Mohr,J. Vincent, February 2000(http://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc2779.txt?number=2779)|. This is apresence-oriented communication services that allows the user toexchange messages and presence notifications under a completelyindividual standard. Therefore, the communication partners selected by auser are listed on the display of the user mobile telephone with itscorresponding status. The user can experience the current status foreach selected subscriber; for example, whether or not the i-mode usercan be reached via his/her mobile telephone. Icons that show emotion(happy, busy, etc.) are also exchanged between users.

[0004] Disadvantageous for such a communication service is the factthat, in the case of the user receiving the information that his/herselected subscriber is not available via his/her mobile telephone atpresent, it is impossible to reach the selected subscriber via analternative communication medium or other communication service; forexample, in order to send him/her an urgent message.

[0005] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide amethod and device by which the accessibility of a selected subscriber isimproved.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0006] Accordingly, the present invention relates to a method wherebycommunication information of a first communication unit is provided by acommunication system assigned to the unit, in which case thecommunication information contains indications on communication routesor communication possibilities via which a communication connection tothe first communication unit can be set up. Because the communicationinformation includes indications on all or specific communicationpossibilities via which it is possible to communicate with the firstcommunication unit, it is possible that a further user that identifies,on the basis of the communication information, that a specificcommunication option is not available, can select a specific alternativecommunication option. Therefore, unlike the state of the art for whichinformation only can be obtained from the communication system todetermine whether or not a specific subscriber or user can be accessedtelephonically, the further communication possibilities available to setup a communication connection with a selected subscriber or user alsocan be shown to, for example, send an urgent message to this subscriber.

[0007] The conceptual separation between the communication device andthe communication service will be explained using the following example.A “telephone” is a communication device, “telephony,” on the other hand,is a communication medium or other communication service.

[0008] Telephony only can be carried out with a classical fixed networktelephone, or a communication device “mobile telephone” which alreadysupports at least two communication services: “telephony” and “SMS.”

[0009] The above-mentioned term “communication unit” refers to theentirety of the communication devices available for a user; i.e., aminimum of only one communication device. The term “communicationdevice” REFERS TO all the subscriber terminals or user terminals bymeans of which a user can set up a communication connection for afurther communication device of a further communication unit via acommunication service. The communication devices can be a mobiletelephone, a fixed network telephone, a fax machine, a portablecomputer, a stationary computer, a pager, etc. Advantageously, a numberof communication devices assigned to the first communication unit areshown in the indications on communication possibilities, it is possiblethat a user who would like to make contact with the first communicationunit can adapt the communication to specific communication devices thatadvantageously include different types. If, for example, a userdetermines that a communication device is assigned to the firstcommunication unit that is embodied for sending or receiving multimediamessages, the user can send a multimedia message to the firstcommunication unit if this is seen to be the most suitable.

[0010] According to one embodiment of the present invention, one or morecommunication services are assigned to each one of the (first)communication devices that are shown in the information on communicationoptions. The entirety of the communication devices together with thespecifically assigned communication services then yields thecommunication possibilities of a communication unit. Communicationservices or communication medium refers to all services via which thecommunication devices can intercommunicate such as telephony, fax,e-mail, SMS, MMS, instant messaging, etc. In order for thesecommunication services to be addressed unambiguously, a communicationaddress is assigned to each one of these communication services thatlikewise is shown in the indications on communication possibilities.Advantageously, accessibility information is assigned to each one of thecommunication services that indicates whether or not a communicationconnection can be set up at the current moment via the specificcommunication services with the (first) communication unit in which casethe accessibility information is shown in the information of thecommunication options. The accessibility information may, for example,contain values such as “accessible” (“online”), “not accessible”(“offline”), etc. FA display attribute also can be assigned to theaccessibility information that indicates whether or not, and in whichway, the display of the accessibility information or the assignedcommunication services and/or the assigned communication device shouldbe carried out if the communication information should be shown on adisplay of a communication device of a further user (highlighted incolor, identified by underlining, identified by italics, etc.).

[0011] According to another embodiment of the present invention,preference information is assigned to one or more (first) communicationservices that indicate through which communication services acommunication connection to the (first) communication unit must be setup in a preferred way, in which case the preference information again isshown in the information of the communication options. Therefore, the(first) user of the first communication unit no longer can indicate onlythe possible communication options via which he/she can be accessed, butalso the possible communications options via which communicationservices and/or communications address can be determined, i.e.,therefore, also via which communication device, a communicationconnection preferably can be set up by a further user. For example, thefirst user could prefer to contact him/her during the day at the officevia the communication services “telephony” via the “fixed networktelephone” and via “instant messaging” via the “stationary computer”because he/she works at his desk at the office the entire day. On theother hand, during free time he/she might prefer to be called by anotheruser via the communication services, “telephony” via his/her private“mobile telephone.”

[0012] According to a further embodiment, the communication informationof the first communication unit also may have user information withrespect to the user assigned to the first communication unit. This userinformation can, for example, give indications on the physical oremotional status (happy, stressed, sick, etc.) of the user. The userinformation can, for example, be shown as text and/or a correspondingpictogram.

[0013] According to yet another embodiment of the present invention, aselection of specific (first) communication devices and/or a selectionof specific (first) communication services and/or the user informationcan be compiled into a presence profile that is released for requestinga further communication unit. As such, a subset or a specificcombination of the possibly available communication information of the(first) communication unit is logged by the first user in the presenceprofile. Therefore, in order to release specific communicationinformation for “making available” or requesting a further communicationunit, the user of the first communication unit must only activate aspecific presence profile and need not first compile specificcommunication information manually.

[0014] The advantages obtained when defining a presence profile will nowbe explained in another way. While a user who would like to contact afurther user only obtains the information via a conventional presenceservice whether or not the further user “can be accessed” or “cannot beaccessed” via the subscriber terminal, the user in this way according tothe present invention obtains further information or communicationinformation that indicates which further communication devices orcommunication services are available to the further user. Therefore,according to the present invention, dynamic information that, forexample, concerns the accessibility of a user is combined with staticinformation that concerns the user for the available communicationdevices. Should only one user be considered to whom a number ofcommunication devices or subscriber terminals are available, such as afirst fixed network telephone, a first stationary computer, a first faxmachine and a first mobile telephone at the office as well as a secondfixed network telephone, a second stationary computer and a secondmobile telephone at home or in during free time, at least thecommunication devices connected to the telephone network, such as fixednetwork telephones or the fax machine, normally always obtain theattribute “accessible” or “online”. As can be seen, the dynamicinformation with respect to the accessibility is insufficient togetherwith the static information of the available communication devices inorder to indicate the “actual” accessibility of a user. The “actual”accessibility is, rather, linked to the “quasi-static” conditions suchas the time of day, the location of the user or during the day the usermost likely will, for example, be at the office where, as already hasbeen mentioned above, the first fixed network telephone, the firststationary computer, the first fax machine or the first mobile telephoneare made available to him/her, while he/she is most probably at home atnight or over weekends where he can then be accessed via the secondfixed network telephone, the second stationary computer or the secondmobile telephone. Therefore, in order to take these “quasi-static”conditions into consideration, the user of a communication unit cancompile specific communication devices or specific communicationservices into presence profiles that ensure or improve the accessibilityof the user at specific locations or at specific times. Therefore, apresence profile may, for example, be defined that particularlyindicates the accessibility of a user during the day or at the office,or a presence profile can be defined that indicates the accessibility ofthe user at night or during the free time. As already has beenmentioned, only a corresponding presence profile must be activated toprovide the location-specific or the time-of-day-specific informationand again be deactivated later.

[0015] According to yet a further embodiment of the present invention,the communication information provided by the first communication unitcan be requested, sent and/or processed by a second communication unitof a second user via the communication system. In general, the methodaccording to the present invention may, in particular, be integrated ina method for setting up a communication connection. After the first userhas provided the communication information of communicationpossibilities available in the communication system assigned to him/her,a second user can request and analyze this communication information.Subsequently, the second user can select which communication option thatis available to the first user he/she would like to use in order to setup a communication connection. A communication connection then can beimplemented while, for example, a telephone connection is establishedfrom the second to the first user or while general data or messages ofany type are sent between either users or their assigned communicationunits. The messages can be available as text, voice, audio message,picture message, video message, short message (according to the SMS),multimedia message(according to the MMS), etc.

[0016] In order for the user of the second communication unit to onlyobtain communication information from the first communication unit orfurther communication units that are adapted to the communicationdevices or communication services made available to him/her, it isadvantageous if the user of the second communication unit defines awatcher profile in which a selection of specific communication devicesand/or communication services and/or user information is given via whichthe indications on the communication information of the first or furthercommunication units should be sent to the second communication unit. Assuch, the user of the second communication unit can compile a subset ora specific combination of selected communication information into thewatcher profile via which he/she would like to be informed/notified.Particularly if the user of the first communication unit has a number ofpossible communication devices and communication services, but the userof the second communication unit only has a limited number ofcommunication devices or communication services, the user of the secondcommunication unit can set his/her watcher profile in such a way thatonly communication information that corresponds to his/her “capacities”is sent to him/her. If the second communication unit only has a mobiletelephone that has telephony and SMS capabilities, the watcher profileassigned to the second communication unit advantageously will onlycontain indications on such communication devices or communicationservices.

[0017] However, it is also conceivable that a number of watcher profilesare assigned to a communication unit that in the same way as thepresence profiles is accordingly adapted to certain “quasi-static”conditions of the user of the specific communication unit. However, itis also possible here that the user of the second communication unitdefines a specific watcher profile according to the time of day or thelocation. If he/she for example, is at the office where he/she has a faxmachine, he/she will, in a watcher profile that should be activatedduring the time of day, indicate use of the fax service as acommunication services, in the watcher profile whereas he/she defines afurther watcher profile that will not include the fax service at nightor during his/her free time where he/she has no fax machine.

[0018] However, it is also feasible that the first communication unit towhich one or more presence profiles already have been assigned, also hasone or more watcher profiles assigned in collaboration with the watcherprofiles that are assigned to the second communication unit.

[0019] According to one particular embodiment of the present invention,one or more client profiles are assigned to the first communication unitthat, in each case, consists of a specific presence profile and aspecific watcher profile. This definition of a client profile furtherincreases the user comfort because a user can adapt, in a simple way andat low cost, the data to be provided and requested to the quasi-staticconditions such as the time of day or location. Therefore, by definingand using specific profiles such as the presence profile, the watcherprofile or the client profile, communication information to be providedor requested can be changed quickly and simply by using limitedresources. A command for activating or deactivating a pre-definedprofile also can be coded more compactly than would be the case if theentire communication information should be coded. The latter isparticularly advantageous for cellular phone network systems and hereintensified in the case of roaming where resources are particularlyexpensive with reference to the air interface. Roaming occurs if acellular phone network subscriber makes a call in a foreign cellularphone network and/or transfers data; i.e., is in another network thanthat of the cellular phone network operator assigned to the subscriber.

[0020] Once the specific presence profiles and/or watcher profilesand/or client profiles are determined for a communication unit,according to a further embodiment of the present invention, they can bestored in a component of the communication system to which thecorresponding communication unit has been assigned. The relevantprofiles then can be selected directly, activated or even eactivatedagain by a user of the corresponding communication unit in order toprovide or request specific communication information via thecommunication system. It is also possible that the profiles are selectedby the communication system itself; i.e., automatically according to aspecific criterion in which case the criterion can be the time of day,the day of the week or the location of the user assigned to a specificcommunication unit. The location can be determined while thecommunication system monitors from which one of these communicationdevices of a communication unit, a communication connection is or shouldbe set up. For example, if a fixed network telephone at the office of auser makes a telephone call, the communication system can immediatelyactivate all the “office” profiles of the corresponding user or itscommunication unit even if at the current point in time of the telephonecall the day of the week (for example, Saturday or Sunday) or time ofday (for example, 23:00) are incorrect to activate the “office”profiles.

[0021] According to the communication devices used, the communicationsystem can be a communication network such as a cellular phone network,a telephone network and/or an Internet protocol-based communicationnetwork. The cellular phone network as well as the communication devicesof communication units that are assigned to the cellular phone networkcan function according to the GSM, Standard UMTS(Universal MobileTelecommunication System) standard, etc. According to one advantageousembodiment, the communication system also has an instant messaging andpresence service that administers the communication informationincluding the differently defined profiles of the communication units.This service also may monitor the communication connections ofcommunication units in order to set dynamic information such asaccessibility information in the case of the communication informationof the relevant communication units or to determine the location of auser of a communication unit as mentioned above. Particularly in orderto establish the current location of the user by using a mobiletelephone, the communication system can localize the mobile telephone ofthis user by using the positioning services of the mobile radiocommunications network (e.g., a UMTS network).

[0022] According to a further embodiment of the present invention, acommunication system is created that is particularly suitable forcarrying out the method according to the present invention and hascomponents in which the communication information can be stored, andgives information of the communication options via which a communicationconnection can be set up with a first communication unit of a first userassigned to a communication system.

[0023] Preferably, one or more presence profiles can be stored in thecomponents of the communication system that consist of a selection ofcommunication devices assigned to one of the first communication unitsand/or a selection of communication services and/or user informationabout the first user which can be released to be requested by a furthercommunication unit. In addition, one or more watcher profiles can bestored in one of the components of the communication system in which aselection of specific communication devices and/or communicationservices and/or user information is indicated via which the indicationson communication information should be sent to another communicationunit of the first communication unit. Preferably, one or more clientprofiles also are stored in one of the components that in each caseconsist of a specific presence profile and a specific watcher profile.

[0024] According to one embodiment, the communication system has aselection device via which one or more of the above-mentioned profilesthat are stored in one of the components can be selected or activatedand again deactivated. The selection device can select or activate theprofiles if instructed by the first user or automatically depending onthe time of day, the day of the week, the location of the first user,etc.

[0025] According to yet another embodiment of the present invention, acommunication device particularly for carrying out the method accordingto the present invention is created that has a device for sending thecommunication information of a communication unit to and/or from one ofthe communication systems assigned to the communication unit. As such,via the communication device, the communication information of acommunication unit can be sent to the communication system and/or thecommunication information of further communication units can berequested from the communication system and sent from the latter.Advantageously, the communication device also has a device in which thecommunication information can be processed or indicated and changed. Itis also advantageous if the communication device has a device forcompiling specific communication information of a communication unitinto profiles. If a number of profiles was defined, it is advantageousif the communication device also has a device for selecting oractivating one or more of the profiles.

[0026] Additional features and advantages of the present invention aredescribed in, and will be apparent from, the following DetailedDescription of the Invention and the Figures.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

[0027]FIG. 1 shows a diagram of the logical units of a presence service.

[0028]FIG. 2 shows a diagram of a first communication unit that isconnected to a second communication unit via a communication system.

[0029]FIG. 3 shows a diagram of the communication information of acommunication unit assigned to a user that is compiled into an “office”profile.

[0030]FIG. 4 shows a diagram of the communication information of acommunication unit assigned to a user that is compiled into a “freetime” profile.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0031] In the case of a presence system according to a generic frameworkmodel of the IETF (Internet Engineering Task Fore) as is shown in FIG.1, presence information 8 is exchanged between a first unit (theso-called “presentity” 2) and a second unit (the so-called “watcher” 4).The presence information indicates the accessibility pf the presentityregarding a communication device via a communication services assignedto it (for example, mobile telephone via telephony) or icons that showemotion of the presentity. The presentity 2 is a unit that isrepresented by a subscriber or an application program and provides ormakes available presence information 8. The watcher 4 is a unit that isalso represented by a subscriber or an application program and serves toreceive the presence information 8 of another unit or anothersubscriber. The presentity 2 provides its presence information 8 via acommunication system that has a presence service 6 for sending oradministering the presence information. Therefore, the communicationsystem may, include one or more communication networks to allow acommunication connection between different communication devices or viadifferent communication services as explained below. The communicationnetworks also can be interconnected via special devices such as“gateways”. The watcher 4 (second unit) can access the presenceinformation of the presentity 2 (first unit) in which case access isonly possible after overcoming specific safety precautions such as anaccess control or an authorizing process. On the other hand, the watcher4 can actively and explicitly ask for and request the presenceinformation of the presentity 2 and, on the other hand, the presenceservice 6 can notify the watcher 4 when the status of the presenceinformation of the presentity 2 is changed.

[0032] This simple presence system will be expanded according to thepresent invention as shown in FIG. 2.

[0033] As can be seen in the top section of FIG. 2, a firstcommunication unit E1 is assigned to a first user B1. The communicationunit E1 represents the entirety of the communication devices availableto the user B1; in this case, devices V11 and V12. These communicationdevices can, for example, be a stationary computer, a portable computer,a mobile telephone or a fixed network telephone. Communication servicesor communication media M111 or M121 and M122 are assigned to thecommunication devices V11 and V12. These communication services areavailable for services via which the first communication unit E1 sendsinformation or messages to a communication system K or via thecommunication system K to a further communication unit or can receivefrom the communication system K or a further communication unit. Thesecan be telephony, an instant messaging service, an MMS, an SMS, ane-mail service or a fax service. The first user B1 can prepare orcombine the information of his/her communication unit E1 and itsassigned communication devices V11 and V12 or the correspondingcommunication services M111 or M121 and M122 and can initiate that thisinformation is stored or logged in one of the components of thecommunication system. Advantageously, the administration of thisinformation or communication information of the communication unit E1 istaken over by a presence service such as an “instant messaging andpresence” service. It is noted that the communication information,besides or in addition to the above-mentioned presence information thatindicates the accessibility of a communication unit with respect to acommunication device via one of these assigned communication services,rather indicates the entirety or a specific selection of communicationdevices together with the relevant assigned communication services, andtherefore, indicates the available communication possibilities of acommunication unit. In order to optimize the accessibility of the firstcommunication unit E1, specific communication information I1 is compiledinto so-called presence profiles P1 and P2 in which, for example,depending on the time of day, the day of the week or the location ofuser B1, those communication services or communication devices areindicated via which the first communication unit E1 and, therefore, theuser B1 can preferably or best be accessed. In addition to the presenceprofiles P1 and P2, so-called watcher profiles W1 and W2 are also storedor logged in the communication system K via which the first user B1 canspecify which communication information should be sent to him/her byfurther communication units. In this case, the watcher profiles W1 andW2 again can be adapted to the time day, the day of the week or thelocation of the user B1 in order to guarantee that a user only receivesthe communication information from other communication units thatcorrespond to the (current) capacity. The user B1 also can compilespecific presence profiles and watcher profiles into so-called clientprofiles in which case the presence profile P1 and the watcher profileW1 as shown in FIG. 2 were compiled into a client profile A1 and thepresence profile P2 and the watcher profile W2 into a client profile A2.On the one hand, by defining these profiles, the user B1 simply canselect or activate communication information I1 for releasing (presenceprofiles) to other communication units or for receiving (watcherprofiles) communication information I1 from further communication unitsin a simple way and later deactivate them. By using client profiles,this comfort is increased further. Particularly in the case of cellularphone network systems, this selection possibility of specificcommunication information about pre-defined profiles is advantageousbecause an activation of the profiles only requires few resources.

[0034] Communication information of the first communication unit E1provided via the communication system then can be requested, sent orprocessed by a second communication unit E2 of a second user B2.

[0035] However, the second user B2 must first of all make contact withthe communication system K or the components thereof to be administeredby the communication information in order to signal that he/she wouldlike to receive the communication information from the first user B1 orfurther users. For example, he/she can do this by correspondinglyadapted signaling procedures, a telephone call, by sending a shortmessage via an SMS, by sending an e-mail, etc. to the communicationsystem. Possibly, the second user B2 must first undergo a safety checksuch as an authorizing process before he/she receives an authorizationto access the communication information I1 of the first user B1.Advantageously, the second communication unit E2 also would have definedone or more watcher profiles (not shown) via which only specificcommunication information of the first communication unit E1 is sent. Ascan be seen in the diagram, a communication device—V21, to which thecommunication services M211 and M212 are made—available, is assigned tothe second communication unit E2 and via which information or messagesare sent to the communication system K or can be received from the firstcommunication unit E1. It is noted that the second communication unit E2or the second user B2 can log or store corresponding profiles such asthe first communication unit E1 in the communication system K.

[0036] According to the diagram of the presence system that is usedaccording to the present invention, embodiments to show or provide thecommunication information on the basis of FIGS. 3 and 4 will beexplained.

[0037] As already has been mentioned in FIG. 2, the communicationinformation of a communication unit is advantageously stored in acommunication system. In the communication system that can have one ormore communication networks, an “instant messaging and presence” serviceis provided from which the communication information is administered. Inan exemplary view of the communication information of a communicationunit that is allocated to a user, the specific communication informationis arranged in a folder structure and sorted according to thecommunication structures such as “telephony”, “instant messaging”,“MMS”, “SMS”, “e-mail” and “Fax”. The relevant communication addressesare indicated in the right column next to the communication services viawhich, depending on a specific communication device, a communicationconnection can be set up. In this way, for example, both thecommunication services “telephony” and the different telephone numbers(in the case of telephony via mobile telephones particularly as MSISDNnumbers (Mobile Services ISDN numbers; ISDN: Integrated Services DigitalNetwork) are given as communication addresses. Accessibility informationabout each communication services is found in the right column next tothe communication addresses indicating whether the communication unit“can be accessed” or “cannot be accessed” via the specific communicationservices.

[0038] In the right column next to the accessibility information, thetype of communication connection or the designation of the communicationdevice is indicated via which a communication service on the left of thedisplay and a communication connection on the left of the communicationaddress can be set up. Via the designations of the communication devicessuch as “fixed network, authorized”, “mobile, authorized”, “mobile,private”, “fixed network, private” it is possible to determine whetheror not it is a fixed network telephone or a mobile telephone forauthorized or private purposes. The designation “internet messaging,private” can represent a portable stationary computer that is used forprivate purposes. The terms “authorized” or “private” can also expressthat it is a portable or a stationary computer that is used forauthorized or private purposes.

[0039] In the right column next to the indications of the communicationdevices, a column for preference information is provided (here, 3entries) in which is indicated via which communication service or whichcommunication address and, therefore, communication device the userwould like to be contacted. In the case shown in FIG. 3, the user to beseen here as presentity would prefer to be contacted via his/herauthorized fixed network telephone than via his/her mobile telephones.It is also indicated that the private fixed network connection cannot beaccessed. An explicit expression of the affinities concerning specificcommunication services follows on the basis of preference attributesthat explain the affinities of different communication services. Theattribute fields can, for example, include the designations “desired”,“not desired” or “only in urgent cases”. As shown in FIG. 3, the userwould like to be contacted either via the “Internet messaging service”or via his/her authorized telephone connection. He/she also would notlike to receive e-mails via his/her private e-mail address. Therefore,the user can mention his preferred communication services and listfurther communication devices or terminals from top to bottom accordingto the degree of preference. As already has been mentioned above,specific communication information about profiles, in this case presenceprofiles, can be compiled that, for example, are adapted to the“quasi-static” conditions of the specific user such as the time of day,location, etc. The diagram of the communication information shown inFIG. 3 can then be designated as the presence profile with the title“office” that can be activated during the working hours of the user.

[0040] It should be noted that, particularly in the case of mobilecommunication devices such as mobile telephones, it is advantageous toknow the current location or the country or the communication network inwhich the mobile communication device is registered. This locationinformation can be determined on registering in a communication networkor by positioning services and the like and in the case of mobilecommunication devices can be provided in the communication informationof these (for example in the indication of the country of residence“Germany”, “Australia”, etc.). For instance, if a user identifies on thebasis of the communication information of a further user that he/she isabroad where there are high cellular phone network costs, then he/shecan decide not to contact the further user via his/her mobile telephoneto save costs.

[0041]FIG. 4 shows the communication information of a user or acommunication unit assigned to the user that represents a presenceprofile with the tile “free time” because no indications on authorizedcommunication services or communication devices are provided. Becausethe meaning of the individual columns or rows already have beenexplained in FIG. 3, it is not necessary to explain FIG. 4 in greatdetail.

[0042] It is possible that the user creates and edits the correspondingcommunication information in one of his/her communication devices andthen makes it available via the communication system. As already hasbeen mentioned, it is advantageous to log the communication informationas well as the above-mentioned profiles (presence profile, watcherprofile, client profile) on a so-called presence server (“presenceserver”) of a presence service such as the “instant messaging andpresence” service that is provided as a component of the communicationsystem. For example, the presence server can be embodied in a cellularphone network as part of an HLR (Home Location Register); i.e., adatabase-supported processing unit that contains the main data of thesubscriber of a PLMN (Public Land Mobile Network) but also as anautomatic device in a cellular phone network or another communicationnetwork. Particularly if the user has a mobile telephone, it is possiblefor him/her to send a command to the presence server with low resourcecosts via the air interface in order to activate a pre-defined profileso that specific communication information can be forwarded to anotheruser (watcher).

[0043] As already has been mentioned, a user can, in the case of thepresence system according to the present invention, make available allthe communication information or only one subset thereof via thecommunication system. The first variant (to make available all thecommunication information) allows a further user (watcher) to have anentire overview of the possibilities of the first user (presentity). Insuch a case, information can also be useful via currently non-accessiblecommunication devices or terminals. For example, the second user candecide to send an e-mail to the private inbox of the first user althoughthe latter has indicated that he/she cannot be accessed via this e-mailaddress at the moment and will subsequently will not immediately readthe e-mail. Accordingly, it is also advantageous if the second user asrequired and depending on the available resources can request either allthe presence information of the first user or, for example, only theinformation with reference to communication services or communicationdevices that can be accessed at the moment. A further possibility of theselection of requested communication information (for example, in awatcher profile) can take place with reference to communication servicesin which case the second user can only request information about suchcommunication services that support his/her communication devices. Forexample, information regarding MMS could be irrelevant if the seconduser has no MMS-capable communication device.

[0044] If the second user designated as user B2 in FIG. 2 would now liketo request the communication information of the first user B1, he/shecan send a request command from his/her communication device V21 to thecommunication system K (particularly to the system in this presenceservice provided) that then sends all or selected communicationinformation to his/her communication device V21. Advantageously, thiscommunication device has a multi-line display on which the possiblecommunication possibilities for the first communication unit E1 can beclearly shown. It is also feasible that the second communication unit E2or the second user B2 automatically sends the communication informationof the first communication unit E1 if this information has been changed.

[0045] Accordingly, the communication devices V11 and V12 are availableto the first user B1 in order to create and edit the communicationinformation for the first communication unit I1 and send thisinformation via a corresponding device to the communication system K. Inorder to clearly show the communication information and to facilitate anediting process, it is advantageous if the corresponding communicationdevice of the user B1 also has a multi-line display. In addition, it isadvantageous if a communication device of the first user B1 has a devicefor compiling the communication information into profiles that alreadyhave been explained above. If the first user B1 has created profiles, itis also advantageous if one of the communication devices has a devicefor selecting or activating the profiles in the communication system.

[0046] Although the present invention has been described with referenceto specific embodiments, those of skill in the art will recognize thatchanges may be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scopeof the present invention as set forth in the hereafter appended claims.

1-33 (canceled).
 34. A method for providing communication information ina communication system, the method comprising the steps of: providingcommunication information of a first communication unit via acommunication system assigned to the first communication unit, thecommunication information including communication options via which acommunication connection to the first communication unit may be set up,with the communication options including communication services andcommunication devices; requesting, via a second communication unit, thecommunication information of the first communication unit via thecommunication system; selecting, via the second communication unit, aspecific communication option from the communication information; andsetting up, via the second communication unit, a communicationconnection to the first communication unit via the selectedcommunication option.
 35. A method for providing communicationinformation in a communication system as claimed in claim 34, wherein aplurality of communication devices assigned to the first communicationunit are shown in the communication options.
 36. A method for providingcommunication information in a communication system as claimed in claim35, wherein at least one communication service assigned to eachcommunication device is shown in the communication options.
 37. A methodfor providing communication information in a communication system asclaimed in claim 36, wherein each of the communication services assignedto a communication address is shown in the communication options.
 38. Amethod for providing communication information in a communication systemas claimed in claim 36, wherein each of the communication services isassigned to accessibility information indicating whether a communicationconnection via each respective communication service can be set up tothe first communication unit at a current point in time, with theaccessibility information being shown in the communication options. 39.A method for providing communication information in a communicationsystem as claimed in claim 36, wherein at least one communicationservice is assigned to preference information indicating via whichcommunication service or communication connection to the firstcommunication unit must be set up, with the preference information beingshown in the communication options.
 40. A method for providingcommunication information in a communication system as claimed in claim34, wherein the communication information of the first communicationunit includes user information with respect to a user assigned to thefirst communication unit.
 41. A method for providing communicationinformation in a communication system as claimed in claim 40, wherein aselection of at least one of communication devices, communicationservices and the user information is compiled into a presence profilewhich is released for requesting by a further communication unit.
 42. Amethod for providing communication information in a communication systemas claimed in claim 41, wherein a plurality of different presenceprofiles are assigned to the first communication unit.
 43. A method forproviding communication information in a communication system as claimedin claim 34, wherein the second communication unit passes through anauthorization process before the communication information may berequested.
 44. A method for providing communication information in acommunication system as claimed in claim 34, wherein the secondcommunication unit is assigned to at least one watcher profile in whicha selection of at least one of communication devices, communicationservices and user information is indicated via which indications on thecommunication information of one of the first communication unit and afurther communication unit should be sent to the second communicationunit during the request.
 45. A method for providing communicationinformation in a communication system as claimed in claim 41, whereinthe first communication unit is assigned to at least one watcher profilein which a selection of at least one of communication devices,communication services and user information is indicated via whichindications on communication information of another communication unitto the first communication unit should be sent.
 46. A method forproviding communication information in a communication system as claimedin claim 45, wherein the first communication unit is assigned to atleast one client profile which consists of a specific presence profileand a specific watcher profile.
 47. A method for providing communicationinformation in a communication system as claimed in claim 45, wherein atleast one of the communication information of the first communicationunit, the presence profile, the watcher profiles and the client profilesare stored in the communication system.
 48. A method for providingcommunication information in a communication system as claimed in claim45, wherein at least one of a specific presence profile, a specificwatcher profile and the client profile is selected from a user assignedto the first communication unit to be provided via the communicationsystem.
 49. A method for providing communication information in acommunication system as claimed in claim 45, wherein at least one of aspecific presence profile, a specific watcher profile and the clientprofile is selected according to specific criteria from thecommunication system to be provided via the communication system.
 50. Amethod for providing communication information in a communication systemas claimed in claim 49, wherein the specific criteria includes one of atime of day, a day of the week and a place of residence of the userassigned to the first communication unit.
 51. A method for providingcommunication information in a communication system as claimed in claim40, wherein the user information includes at least one of an emotionaland a physical state of the user.
 52. A method for providingcommunication information in a communication system as claimed in claim34, wherein one of the communication devices is one of a mobiletelephone, a fixed network telephone, a portable computer, a stationarycomputer and a pager.
 53. A method for providing communicationinformation in a communication system as claimed in claim 34, whereinone of the communication services is one of telephony, an instantmessaging service, an MMS, an SMS, e-mail service and a faxed service.54. A method for providing communication information in a communicationsystem as claimed in claim 34, wherein the communication system includesat least one of a cellular phone network, a telephone network and aninternet protocol-based communication network.
 55. A method forproviding communication information in a communication system as claimedin claim 34, wherein the communication system includes a presenceservice.
 56. A communication system for providing communicationinformation, comprising: a first communication unit to which thecommunication system is assigned; a component for storing communicationinformation of the first communication unit, the communicationinformation including communication options via which a communicationconnection to the first communication unit may be set up, thecommunication options including communication services and communicationdevices; and a second communication unit which may request receipt ofthe communication information about the first communication unit fromthe communication options, and which may select a specific communicationoption and set up a communication connection via the selectedcommunication option to the first communication unit.
 57. Acommunication system as claimed in claim 56, wherein at least onepresence profile may be stored in at least one of one of thecommunication devices assigned to the first communication unit, one ofthe communication services assigned to the first communication unit anduser information about a user of the first communication unit, with theat least one presence profile serving as the communication informationof the first communication unit.
 58. A communication system as claimedin claim 56, wherein at least one watcher profile may be stored in atleast one of a communication device assigned to the first communicationunit, a communication service assigned to the first communication unitand user information about a user of the first communication unit viawhich indications on the communication information of a furthercommunication unit should be sent to the first communication unit.
 59. Acommunication system as claimed in claim 56, wherein at least one clientprofile may be stored in at least one of a communication device assignedto the first communication unit, a communication service assigned to thefirst communication unit and user information about a user of the firstcommunication unit and which respectively include a specific presenceprofile and a specific watcher profile.
 60. A communication system asclaimed in claim 57, further comprising a selection device via which atleast one profile that is stored in one of a communication deviceassigned to the first communication unit, a communication serviceassigned to the first communication unit and user information about auser of the first communication unit may be selected to be provided viathe communication system.
 61. A communication system as claimed in claim60, wherein the selection device makes a selection based on one of aninstruction from the user of the first communication unit, automaticallydepending on a time of day, automatically depending on a day of the weekand automatically depending on a location of the user.